Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sunday morning Foundations Classes
God's Positioning System (GPS)

Angels/Demons & the End Times -- Lesson #5

(press or click on a slide to enlarge it)

scroll down for earlier lessons in descending order

You can click on earlier lesson by date to the right "Blog Archive".

(Lessons are posted once a week on Friday afternoon

For Lesson #1 click on 5/31 at upper right 

Happy 4th of July! Pray for our Nation and our President!

I had intended this to be the last lesson on angels and the angelic realm, BUT…. One commentary noted that angels are the bridge between the spiritual and the physical realm. What does that mean? The fallen angels were cast out of heaven to the earth, and even though we can’t see them, they are creating havoc here, there and everywhere. When I research a topic sometimes the information grows sufficiently to warrant an additional lesson, like now. 

Satan’s rebellion began in heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15) with him and his angels being cast down to earth (Revelation 12), which we looked at in lesson #1. In Revelation chapter 20, Satan meets a crushing final defeat, being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. It doesn’t state it, but I think its safe to presume that Satan’s fallen angels were cast into hell with him, forever and forever! When we witness civic unrest and riots in our cities, we may be prone to ask, “Why is this happening?” Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." History is not only interesting but serves as a lesson of what is to come. We can see examples of it in our own lifetime. If you believe Satan is not active in today’s civic unrest, think again!

Do you see spiritual warfare? Or are these just unhappy, discontent people who feel the odds are stacked against them? 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

Satan’s greatest weapon is knowing our weaknesses and using it to stir discontent and discord. He is an expert in stirring up and inciting “discontent for a perceived wrong!” Apparently, he even was capable of convincing 1/3 of the angels that they were getting a bad deal from God, or that God was holding something back from them that they deserved. If so many angels were swayed by Satan’s lies, don’t you think people would be, especially since Satan has free reign across the earth, here, there, and everywhere? 

Stand Ready for what? Though unseen, God sends His angels throughout the world to assist His church and protect His people 24/7 (Luke 4:10; Psalm 34:7). When people deny or reject God, there are consequences (Gal. 6:7-8); in doing so, they set out the welcome mat, opening the door for and unleashing evil. In these chaotic times, the Church needs to take its role in prayer seriously (Psalm 9:9-10; Psalm 46:1; James 4:7) and sharing the Gospel. God will not reward evil with good or protect those who reject Him; even nations are not exempt from His wrath. We see example down through history, even within our own lifetime—WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, 9/11...

Because I strongly believe the lessons of history are essential learning tools, which also includes standing strong against evil. Our principle weapon against Satan is prayer, but we can also resist, by word and deed, the evil he manifests in the world (James 4:17). Just as Satan influenced Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3) to betray Jesus, and the Pharisees (Matt. 22:15-18) to press for Jesus to be crucified, Satan greatest weapon is his persuasive influence and sway. Adolf Hitler’s persuasive sway over Germany—the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation—is a manifestation of Satan in the flesh. 

Reflecting on the Battle of Britain during World War II, the successful defense of Great Britain against relentless and destructive air raids conducted by the German air force (Luftwaffe) from July through September 1940, after the fall of France. If Winston Churchill had accepted Hitler’s terms to negotiate and had not put up a valiant defense against the German Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany would have made Great Britain helpless, allowing German forces to overran all of Europe unimpeded, nor would America have entered the war against Germany; and today Nazi Germany would still be in power. Hitler lost to the USSR only because he was fighting a two-front war (Eph. 6:10-18). Churchill not only resisted Hitler, but he also resisted Satan (James 4:7-8). Both Britain and America were in fervent prayer on the home-front (Psalm 39:12, 66:20; Luke 1:37). Did it make a difference? Absolutely!

Evil is manifested in many different ways and by many different people. Map shows Nazi Germany’s conquest across Europe (red areas). We can be certain that Hitler’s hatred of the Jews was fueled by Satan himself, even though Hitler was a baptized Roman Catholic and had served as an altar boy as a youth. If Winston Churchill had not resisted Hitler, we would be living in a very different world today. Satan wasn’t sitting idly by in hell when all this was going on. In Luke 4:5-13 we are told that all the world kingdoms are under Satan, including Nazi Germany. Luke 4:6 "And [Satan] said to him, I will give you [Jesus] all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 

God did not leave us defenseless: Eph 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." These really are words of encouragement, that we are not defenseless against dark spiritual forces. Prayer and the Word are important defensive weapons against evil onslaught (Eph. 6:10-20). Just like basic training in the military prepares young men for war, God prepares us for spiritual warfare with His Word. The Book of Revelation contains the final chapters on angels and spiritual warfare—the battle is real, but, the good news is that Satan does lose the war!   

What better place to get wisdom and knowledge than God’s Word—the Bible, both Old and New Testaments include history. But the Bible isn’t just history of Israel and the founding of the Church, it is also a handbook of what we should be doing today in this world, as God’s people. 

We're not going to be covering this, but it illustrates that the Bible stretches over the course of human history from God’s perspective, not only its history, as related to God, but its lessons as related to mankind along with Satan’s influence beginning in the Garden of Eden and man’s fall, instigated by Satan’s lie (Gen. 3:1-7). The human race has been prone to and influenced by Satan’s lies ever since. The Devil can’t be everywhere at the same time, but he has a lot of help with millions of demonic-angels working with him to destroy all that God created, especially man. (For those inclined, you can click on the slide to enlarge it).

The Greek word translated as “angel” is found over 170 times in the New Testament, each time it means an “angel” never pastor. The letters were written to the churches themselves, and not to an individual leader. Most scholars believe that the angel translation is the best one. Since our study began by focusing on angels, lets look at the churches, which are described in Revelation chapters 2 & 3. The location of all seven churches are in what was the Roman province of Asia, which is now modern Turkey, almost 100% Muslim. So what happened to those churches, especially since each one had an angel? There may be a small remnant of Christians in those particular areas, but they are basically Muslim communities. Christians are just 0.3-0.4% of the population of Turkey? All seven churches stand as a lesson for today’s church—we need to be faithful to His Word. We need to be mindful that Christians did not have individual Bibles back then. So, we have a remarkable advantage today, one that we need to use both wisely and faithfully. 

As stated before, I love history, not only because it’s interesting, but it’s a learning tool. So, I inserted a little ancient history to put this lesson into perspective within the larger context of spiritual warfare which has led to the fall of great empires down through history for many similar reasons—human nature doesn’t change, nor has the instigator of discord. Man puts false idols before God, which we saw in the Old Testament leading to the destruction of Israel, God’s Chosen People. Hopefully, we will fare better as One Nation Under God. 

The Gospels, Epistles and Book of Revelation were all written during and within the Roman Empire at the height of its power. Few think of Rome as a Christian Empire, but it was exclusively Christian for its last 100+ years. Rome was founded in 753 BC., and survived as such for over 1,000 years. Over time it became a Republic ruled by Senators and later by Emperors. Christianity was granted legal status in 313 AD, when Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. So what happened to the Christian Roman Empire? 

The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD, from internal discord and external attacks across their northern border; it was formally dissolved in 480. The Eastern Roman Empire's capital was Constantinople, later called the Byzantine Empire, which fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The City of Constantinople is now the City of Istanbul. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. Why am I mentioning this? No Roman could ever imagine the end of the Roman Empire. Nor did the British people imagine the decline of the British Empire which stretched across a large part of the globe, from India to Canada and Australia. In the same way, most Americans cannot imagine the end of this Constitutional Republic. Is it possible? History says it is. When Rome became Christian, it was a political decision, and not primarily one of conversion. It was declared a Christian nation by its emperor a hundred years before its fall. 

From the very beginning, back to the Garden of Eden, and down through what had been great empires, to the end times, we see Satan playing a significant role. The antichrist in Revelation serves with the power of Satan. 1 John 2:18 tells us that many antichrist will come. In all cases he is accompanied by his fallen angels doing his bidding, each with extraordinary power. In the Tribulation, the coming antichrist, in the image of the beast, will be Lucifer in the flesh (Revelation 13). He will masquerade as an angel of light, claiming to be Almighty God. (2 Corinthians 11:14; Daniel 11:36; Revelation 9; Revelation 13:11-18)

Isa 46:9-10 -- 9 "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."  Nothing happens without God’s permission as a matter of right and wrong, and blessings and punishment. He doesn’t create evil but does allow it to occur by people so inclined toward evil, such as the riots on our streets. Yet, He will use it to accomplish His will overall; which I think drives Satan crazy and fuels his rage! All of history is laid out in accordance with God’s plan and timetable.

Protests across the nation are tearing down historic monuments as a way of erasing what they consider an offensive past. If history is the judge, their interpretation of moving toward a perfect utopian society is not a realistic vision.  Of course it just doesn’t happen that way. During the rise of Adolf Hitler in post World War 1 Germany, anything that offended Nazi doctrine was destroyed, including burning of books that contradicted their Aryan ideology and any written by Jews. All it did was catapult their ideology into the mainstream leading to concentration camps for Jews, and staunch Christians that opposed their ideology, and for racially inferior groups residing in Germany, etc. The only solution to the problems we are seeing sweep across our nation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Is this still in the realm of spiritual warfare? Absolutely. Jesus and sharing the Gospel is an affront to Satan and a weapon against him. 

What is the lesson being depicted in this image? We cannot fight the Devil on his terms, nor look at politics as the only solution. Neither can we ignore the political battle taking place at every level of government, as efforts to defund police, allow civic insurrection and defacing of historic monuments, all of which are being tolerated by elected officials. As stated in the last lesson #3, there are dark clouds descending on America across the entire spectrum: political, civil, cultural, and spiritual. Certain mainline churches have embraced the latest “spiritually toxic” anti-biblical cultural demands as the new normal in lieu of God’s Word and the Gospel.  Satan is winning that particular battle. 

Most people who hear or think about “dark forces” as stated by Gen. Flynn, think in terms of political power. Which, is true, BUT, there is a dark spiritual side also: Col 1:13 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  We can be certain that the forces Gen. Flynn has been dealing with are truly striving to drive God out of America. Spiritual warfare isn’t just riots in the street, but is equally real at the highest levels of political power, maybe even more so. This is why prayer for our Nation and our President is so essential. 

Is such a statement made by President Reagan, political? Some would say yes, but nothing escapes the spiritual war American is facing. Read President Ronald Reagan’s August 23, 1984 statement. Reagan served as the 40th President from 1981 to 1989. If we believe God can’t be invoked by a president, or political leader, then we have a real serious problem. As also stated by President Reagan, if we forget that “we are one nation under God”,

we would certainly “be a nation gone under”. If you don’t believe America is in a spiritual battlefield read Ephesians 6:10-18 again.

President Ronald Reagan’s comments are a perfect lead in to the next couple of slides. We are living in challenging times, that most Christians are not even aware of, and which constitute an assault against God and Country.  Is it a form of spiritual warfare that Paul warns about in Ephesians 6? Absolutely.  

A group who calls themselves “The Disciples Of Lucifer”, even have a Facebook page showing a list of 22 cities where the “Luciferian March For A One World Government” was to take place this past Sunday (June 21st — the Summer Solstice). This and associated groups have several Facebook pages. The one called “Luciferians” has 491 members. Another called “The Luciferian Society” has 9.4 thousand members. And there are others of similar Luciferian* names. I read one report by a witness to Sunday’s Raleigh NC march, which is noted on the next slide. 

Note: *Lucifer, the Morning Star, was Satan’s name before his fall. There was a time when this never would have been accepted as an open public display, because it was contrary to our national values and cultural norms. Apparently, no more.

Based on what I read regarding the marches, apparently it was a “mixed bag” where in some cities more Christians showed up to protest the Luciferians. Thank God! The point of even posting this is that Satan is alive and well on planet earth, even right here in the USA. We can’t just sluff it off as a “bunch of nuts” because Satan’s influence is real, very real, and calls for prayer for our Nation and our president. Eph 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

With all that’s going on, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discord and civic unrest, how does God keep us in perfect peace? His angels are at our side through thick and thin (Luke 4:10; Psalm 34:7, Psalm 91:11). When we know who God is, and that He sent Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, worship and prayer can bring a sense of peace and comfort upon our soul, especially when we dwell on Him and His Word. 

If the church loses sight of its mission to share the Gospel, and focuses instead on attracting people with cool things as its priority, it has already lost the battle. 

In the books of Daniel and Revelation, God gives us a description of the antichrist of Bible prophecy, which is a study in and of itself, way beyond this particular study, but an important introduction to the finality of our study on angels and their interaction with mankind, of which Revelation 14:9-12 paints the picture of the finale of the spiritual battle here on earth, but it’s not over just yet. 

Revelation is probably one of the most less understood, misunderstood, and even disputed books in the Bible in regard to what exactly does it mean. Consequently there are a number of views regarding what it means when it refers to the End Times. Yet most are confident that their viewpoint is the correct one. We will explore this further on.

The Book of Revelation paints a broad picture of the End Times, the culmination of Satan’s power and deadly attacks on God’s people. But, there is a day of reckoning carefully spelled out by John, its author, beyond what this lesson can convey. Nevertheless, the message is that even with all the power they sway in spiritual warfare against God’s Church and His people, ultimately, Satan and his angels are destined to lose. Satan has strived throughout history to create a new world order under his influence and authority, and at times and in a limited way, he was successful. He will continue to have a limited victory, as he had in the past, but in the finality of history, he will lose. So, dear brothers and sisters do not despair at the evil onslaught unleased against our nation. Prayer is a defensive weapon against Satan and his demonic angels. How is it a deterrent?  It provides a barrier against Satan’s onslaught. God wouldn’t tell us to pray if it wasn’t an effective defense (Matt. 24:20; John 17:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 6:18; 2 Th.3:1-3; Jude 20).

Don’t blow your mind trying figure out and understand every nuisance on this slide, there is far too much to absorb without an open and extensive discussion. Nevertheless, it’s worth a look. It’s a biblical overview of the two paths mankind is on, also why there are different viewpoints on the end times. It’s an example that we are only scratching the surface with studies like this one, about angels, the angelic realm, good versus evil, and even a slice of the End times, which includes the Final Judgment, the New Heaven and New Earth, etc. For those inclined, you can enlarge the slide by clicking on it, and hitting esc to undo the enlargement. Perhaps another time and another study we can get into it as such.

Shown on this slide are the three main views held across Christianity regarding when the Rapture is expected to occur or not. So, stay tuned for our next lesson which will be posted next Friday afternoon. Until we meet again, blessings to all!. 

 END OF LESSON #5